


Cliche

by Shinigamibutter



Category: ASTRO (Band)
Genre: Actor Eunwoo, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Barista Moonbin, M/M, binu - Freeform, probably out of character, subtle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-28
Updated: 2017-04-28
Packaged: 2018-10-24 17:13:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10746192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shinigamibutter/pseuds/Shinigamibutter
Summary: Dongmin was only looking for a place to get away. Somewhere no one knew his name. He wasn't expecting he would be the one wanting to learn someone else's. But Moonbin wasn't just anyone either.





	Cliche

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sure this has been done before...At least 65 billion times. *shrug* I just wanted to give it a go. I'm not really sure that I chose Binu as it chose me. I don't know what I'm doing.
> 
> If it's awful please don't lynch me. 
> 
> Also forwarning tense and I are mortal enemies.

Dongmin wasn't sure when he had started frequenting this particular coffee shop but of the many he frequented it was quickly becoming his favorite. He was always skipping between places and never staying long at any of them too afraid he would get caught. It wasn't like he was a criminal or anything but sometimes he felt like he was hunted regardless. If they were to put fangirls on the case he was one thousand percent positive they would have the culprit found in three days if not a few hours.

It wasn't that he begrudged his fans or their attentions. He loved them all very dearly. He just also happened to love his privacy and a good cup of coffee in peace without the sound of camera shutters or giggles. It wasn't even that he was a big name actor yet, he had only done a few small drama roles. But his face was easily recognizable and even before his roles he had been quite popular with women. He knew it was because he was handsome. More often than not even before he became 'famous' he was sporting sunglasses and a ball cap when leaving the house back in his home town.

When he moved to a bigger city he had been able to walk around freely, no ball caps, no ugly face masks, and no sunglasses indoors. That had lasted until his first role in a small time drama that somehow developed an underground cult like following. The fans were rabid but tame in comparison to the fans his newest and much larger drama had drawn in. He'd had to move at least twice now to get away from the ones that liked to camp outside his building, they never took pictures they were just there. Always there. That was enough of a reason for his company to move him. Though he was grateful they had at least picked somewhere decently protected this time with a locked building.

After the second move he had stopped frequenting places that required he spend more than a few minutes there for at least a few months. But he had been unable to resist the lure of coffee and staring moodily out of the window while trying to piece together his character. It was a nice way to let the emotions of someone else seep through, to let their mindset float around the surface, and to delve deeper into them just as he delved into the flavor of his coffee. It had lead to coffee shop hopping. His new found favorite hobby. Finding a place to let himself be lost and unknown if only for the short time he was there. Before he was back to his cheerful and always smiling self.

This coffee shop was the first one he had visited as it was close by to the set they had been shooting at. That had been a month or so ago. And since then even though it was now at a hefty distance he still found himself wandering in often enough that the staff knew his name. Not that they hadn't before they were just polite enough and decent enough people to respect that he was here to get away. To let down and be. Not many of the other coffee shops he had entered had the same courtesy.

Swinging open the door he looked around the familiar setting taking in the aroma of coffee beans and pastries. There wasn't a display case like most coffee shops had instead there was a small menu board and a few serving platters covered by glass covers with the pastries inside. There was only one oven in the tiny space of the kitchen that could be seen just to the left of the register through the always open door.

It had been off putting at first how small the place was with only enough space for ten chairs. Two small and cramped tables shoved into the corner by the pick up counter with leather arm chairs. They were surprisingly comfortable even if his knees hit the table when he sat in them. There were four chairs somehow squeezed into that tiny space. Six stool chairs were lined along the large window under a counter. The view from the window was of the busy but colorful street full of life that could be seen from literally anywhere in the coffee shop. There was even a small window in the kitchen that looked out over the lobby. It was used to serve the orders as much as to provide more lighting for the tiny space.

Dongmin knew the place was chintzy and quaint and sometimes he wasn't even sure how they stayed in business. Or he would have said that if it weren't for the lovely couple that ran the place with the help of their family. They were pleasant, earnest, and always smiling. It helped that the coffee here was not only rich but full in flavor no matter what he ordered. The sweet undercurrent of bitterness was always delightful in the way it cut through the sweetness that most coffee shops drowned the flavor in. Even black coffee from some of his other more frequented coffee shops couldn't compare to the ones here. He suspected it was because they mixed their own, but he'd never asked.

Today when he scanned the place he was surprised to see a new face. It wasn't often that there was a worker he didn't recognize here. He never remembered them by name, they didn't wear name badges. So instead he remembered them by their relation to the couple as he only placed his order and they gave him space. The young man at the counter though didn't look like that type as he was discussing the different options the female customer before him had. Dongmin knew the reason she was asking so many questions but the male seemed oblivious as he answered each question with a smile. He looked up at him though as the small bell above the door chimed announcing him.

The smile that was beamed his way was cuter than Dongmin felt anyone in the service industry had the right to make. Working with other actors he had long ago accepted that men were often handsome to him, and sometimes on rare occasions he found them genuinely cute. Those rare times when he wasn't just saying it for the cameras and meant it. This was one of those times he decided as the man told him he would be with him in a moment. There didn't seem to be any recognition on his face and Dongmin wondered if it had to do with the mask he was still wearing from the brisk walk down the street. He nodded though and set his purchases in one of the chairs in the corner and got back in line.

The woman sensing him behind her seemed to finally come to a decision realizing she couldn't stall for attention anymore. She left in a huff once her order was in, settling in front of the window placing her bags beside her as her whole body pouted. He tuned her out instead stepping up to the counter only to realize he hadn't verbally placed an order here in he wasn't sure how long. Internally he sighed and took a moment to pull off his mask and scan the menu. He noticed the quick intake of breath and the widening of the barista's eyes, the recognition. Then the smile was back in place and Dongmin pretended not to notice just as the barista bit his lip and acted like it hadn't happened. When he picked up his order they made small talk, eyes evading each other as they spoke. Yet his coffee was already cool enough to drink by the time he sat down.

That had been their first encounter. And while Dongmin hadn't thought anything of it then he certainly kept thinking about it after. He wasn't sure when it had started anymore but since that first encounter it had become harder to keep his eyes off of this barista, who to his surprise always seemed to be there when he wandered in. These days it was a lot more frequently than he had intended, at least twice a week compared to the maybe once every two weeks of before.

Each visit they chatted a little about mundane things, the weather, the coffee, trying new coffee orders. They had come to be on good terms, if only in the small chatter one exchanged in slips of time. There were times like now that Dongmin wondered what it would be like to have a full blown conversation with him. And while he hadn't longed for a name badge before he wished for one now so he could know the name of his new found acquaintance. It was something he had at one point appreciated that he now found vexing. He wanted to ask but as each visit passed it felt like so did his chance.

He had wandered in sooner than expected again, a third time in a week. The character he was currently trying out for was a hard character to crack. He had read the script a few times now and still couldn't bring himself to understand some of the character's reasoning. It was one such moment that the barista wandered over to sit at the table across from his, quiet and cat like. He had smiled at him, eyes crescents and friendly an invitation to conversation if Dongmin was up for it. It was a startling realization to himself that he was. They chatted for hours and the barista, whose name he finally knew to be Moonbin was just as sweet as his smile. The owner watched them from the counter with a smile.

The next few visits were much like that one. Dongmin smiling and laughing as they talked across the tables. Moonbin was just as smart as he was cute. It might have been two months maybe it was three Dongmin wasn't keeping track when Moonbin smiled at him, crescent eyes making their appearance, and invited him to sit with him. It was a gesture of more than what they were and Dongmin felt his heart stutter more than when he was with any actress. The pink on Moonbin's cheeks was adorable he noted as the younger male placed his phone on the table open for the input of a new contact's information. His name was there with a small red heart next to it.

Dongmin moved to sit across from Moonbin and for the first time since visiting any of these coffee shops he looked at something other than the window.

**Author's Note:**

> Thoughts appreciated. 
> 
> I'll be honest if Jinjin is around I tend to not notice the other members. I'm that biased. (Okay that's an exaggeration but if Moonbin's looking cute then Jinjin wanders by...100% I only see Jinjin. I had to re-watch some videos three times to even realize Moonbin (my second bias wrecker) was even being rude.)
> 
> (re~edited)


End file.
